Wee Halfing
by coop500
Summary: A village of peaceful but fearful halfling farmers become the target of unsavory characters. However two halflings get lucky and relieve help in the least likely way. This story does contain a person being gently swallowed whole, but no harm comes to them and it's for a nice reason. No malicious intent or wish to harm here.


A young, wee little girl was huddled in her bed, blonde hair and olive green eyes peering past the faded pink blanket at her mother, sitting beside her with a warm, gentle smile. "Good night sweetie, do you want me to sing a lullaby to you? " She asked the child, as a hint of moonlight shined through the nearby window and lighting up her tired, but happy smile. "Yes please momma. " She answered, following with a soft yawn. The mother nodded, adjusting to get comfortable, deciding to pick something a little scary, a warning to her child. For last night, before bed she had wandered off from home and it made the mother worry. "Alright sweetie, now listen close. " She said in a gentle tone, before she began.

"Wolves asleep amidst the trees Bats all a swaying in the breeze"

The little one blinked, thinking she might have heard this one before but it's been awhile and forgot which it was.

"But one soul lies anxious wide awake Fearing all manner of ghouls, hags and wraiths For your dolly Polly sleep has flown Don't dare let her tremble alone For the Witcher, heartless, cold Paid in coin of gold He comes, he'll go Leave naught behind But heartache and woe Deep, deep woe."

The child tensed up now, knowing the song, the one that tended to frighten her the most. Monsters were scary enough to the child, but a Witcher was worse, since they were not so easily picked out in a crowd and people brought them around with their coin. The child and her mother were halflings, it was not entirely unheard of that humans wanted them gone sometimes, why not pay a Witcher to do the deed?

"Birds are silent for the night Cows turned in as daylight dies But one soul lies anxious wide awake Fearing all manner of ghouls, hags and wraiths My dear dolly Polly shut your eyes Lie still, lie silent, utter no cries As the Witcher, brave and bold Paid in coin of gold."

The wee girl knew the next part, but everytime it was sung, it made her afraid. While most human children were afraid of being eaten up by the big bad wolf, this little halfling had a different fear...

"He'll chop and slice you Cut and dice you Eat you up whole Eat you whole."

She ducked her nose under the covers, only allowing her eyes to poke out. Now frankly, the final part was very likely just a metaphor or meant to be figurative, but the little one took it very literally. One could not blame her, being a halfling child made her fairly small, a wee foot and a half tall at the age of 7, compared to a 6 foot tall Witcher, it was no wonder the little halfling took being devoured by one whole very literally.

The mother gave a soft smile after the lullaby was over, leaning to give a soft kiss to her child's forehead. "Sleep well my little Junebug and remember, don't wander off or the rich humans will hire a Witcher to gobble you up. " She told her, having known it was the final part that scared the little one the most. Though the mother was sure Witchers didn't actually eat children, if it kept her daughter from wandering off then that was good in her eyes. Typically, humans scared their children about Witchers stealing children to make more of their own, though that was a practice they stopped some time ago, it was still something humans used.

The child nodded to her mother, making a soft whimpering squeak. After that the mother stood up and walked out of her daughter's room, closing the door behind her, leaving the little one alone to let her thoughts wander, which included, of course, the image of a armored cat eyed man with two swords strapped to his back. It took awhile for June to go to sleep, her eyes kept darting to the window, nervous about seeing a pair of glowing, yellow eyes outside. Of course it never came and wasn't likely to, the village was just a tiny halfling village a little ways outside Novigrad, most people didn't pass through here at all.

The village was mainly a farmer's village, selling their crops to soldiers and humans of Novigrad when they were able. It made decent money and the need for food allowed halflings to be tolerated by humans for the time being, as long as they stayed outside the city. After a few more nervous glances with no scary Witcher outside to make a meal of her, the little darling finally went to sleep, snuggled peacefully in bed. But not all was always so peaceful... for while being devoured by legendary monster slayers was most likely just a child's nightmare, there was many true threats just as bad, if not worse that lurked in the night.

At first, all the halflings were asleep and resting up for another hard day's work on the farm fields, but then they struck, a band of human bandits with swords and torches. They were lighting the houses aflame after robbing them of their hard earned coin and whatever else was of value to them. The screams and yells woke up June's parents, just in time for 3 bandits to break into their home. The father stood his ground against the bandits to buy his wife and daughter some time. The child did not wake up until mom shook her awake, then rushed to her window to open it up. "Hmmhmm what's wrong mommy? " The tiny child asked, rubbing her eyes and not knowing what was going on at all. "Go outside and run as fast as you can June, go and don't look back. " She told her daughter in a serious, strained tone.

June sat up, shivering from the cold night air blowing through the now wide open window. "Why? What's going on mommy? " She asked, her eyes wide and her little mind trying to process everything. "There's no time to explain, just go! " Her mother yelled, just in time for one of the bandits to knock down the door into June's room. Seeing the sight of the cruel, massive human, the little halfling child did as her mother said, jumping out of bed and climbing out the little window, too small for the mother to fit through, but June could. She landed on the ground with a rough thud, coughing as she picked herself up and ran towards the woods.

She had no shoes, though most halflings didn't wear them anyway, their large feet were usually pretty sturdy, but also large, making shoes fairly cumbersome. She didn't get to sleep for very long and her body was still trying to wake up, but her emotions were running high. Who were those men? What did they want? Will her parents be okay? What was she supposed to do out here? Maybe she could find someone to come help them, before it was too late.

June kept running the best she could, but her little legs could only carry her so far. Her muscles burned from the sudden workout, as her eyes stinged with tears. Eventually she had to stop, unable to run anymore she leaned against a tree, panting to catch her breath between quiet sobs and sniffs. "Oh mommy and daddy... please be okay... " She muttered, letting out a shaky breath as she tried not to break down entirely. It was dark and a bit errie in the forest, having gotten so far away from the village she didn't hear the screams and yells of the bandit raid. Witchers were no longer on her mind, instead it was just humans, the one that broke into her room was huge... How could someone be that big? And what chance did they have against them?

As the child's thoughts ran wild, her breathing heavy as she tried to recover for a second wind, the forest felt... oddly quiet. Frowning, the little one looked around, feeling so small and helpless out here. At first she saw nothing, but then she heard a stick break, making her gasp and look in the direction of the sound. It was a figure, tall and pretty big, like the human that broke in, but he wasn't yelling or anything and he did not hold a sword in his hand, instead it was a piece of paper. Perhaps he was friendly then? Humans were often dangerous but this was a desperate time, if he could help her parents she had to take the risk and ask. Being so little she assumed he didn't see her, so she walked out in front of his path and spoke up, only being about knee high to him. "Mister! Excuse me Mister! I need your help! " She called out, hoping to catch his attention.

Her voice was high pitched, almost impossibly so, it almost sounded like a mouse or a rat, if it wasn't for the fact the voice had words attached. She didn't get a very good look at him until after she called to him, seeing he was clad in leather armor, well, some chain mail around his middle and back but mostly leather. He had swords too, two of them to be exact on his back. That was odd... where did she remember that from... The bandits all had their weapons either in their hands or their hip, the same for any soldier her parents told her about. She wasn't allowed to see humans, because of how dangerous and big they were. At first she thought he didn't hear her, even though he did stop, he didn't look at her right away. But finally he lowered the paper in his hand, it looking to be a note, though big enough to be a map to the halfling and gazed down at her, one eyebrow quirked.

But that's not what made June's heart skip a beat, maybe even two. It was the fact his eyes were glowing, not extremely bright but bright enough to tell they were yellow in color and were like that of a cat or snake. She knew what they were, she heard enough stories and knew enough about his kind in general to know, though alltogther she didn't know that much at all, all she knew was enough to be afraid. Those eyes were the eyes of a Witcher, heartless, cold, brave and bold, as the song lyrics go. "You a halfling? Is your village nearby? " he asked, his voice was deep, almost like a growl from a vicious animal, though his tone sounded... bored if nothing else, not aggressive or anything, but it was still scary.

June found herself nodding to his words, but she was shaking in fear, backing away from him now. "P-please, please don't eat me Mister W-Witcher, I just w-wanted to get help for m-my mommy and daddy! They're in big tr-trouble, some mean h-humans came and... and.. " The child's emotions caught up with her and she was unable to finish her words, sniffing instead and backing away further, eyes pooling with tears. She didn't want to get eaten, understandably, she would rather keep going and find some other form of help, maybe if she left the Witcher alone he won't make a snack out of her.

The Witcher however looked quite confused, eat her? Why would he do that? He was accused of a lot of bad things that Witchers were said to do, but this was a first. "Why would I eat you? " He asked, confused, though he realized he was wasting time, glancing at the note in his hand and comparing to the frightened child's words, it made sense... This note was not that old at all and the village could still be worth saving, if the Witcher so pleased to do so. If he hurried, there still could be time to save at least some of the halflings. Given how upset she was about it the raid must have started recently.

From his confused reaction, the tiny child whimpered and took another step back, feeling like she should be running, but she worried if she was rude and didn't answer, then caught her running, he'd eat her for being disrespectful to him. "W-well... I dunno... M-maybe for bugging y-you, or be-because you're hungry... " She answered him shakily, trailing off as she tried to come up with another reason for him to devour her, but she couldn't really come up with anything. The choices were limited, hunger covered most of it she felt. However, the little one did give him a idea with her frightened pleas, he had to hurry though which might make this a challenge. "Or to protect you. " He stated simply, which in turn made the little child confused. It was a good idea in his mind though, because then he didn't have to worry about where she was or if someone snatched her.

Protect? Was he crazy? Or lying? She tilted her head at him, but didn't move any further away. She wouldn't mind being protected, kept safe and warm from the dangers, but in a Witcher's belly? That didn't sound all too wise or even safe. "Do you want me to help your parents or not? " The white haired man asked, seeming to be pressed for time, which she understood. Each moment they stood here talking, the bandits caused more damage to her little village. "Y-yes I do b-but... " Of course she wanted her family saved, but at what cost? June found herself looking down nervously, unsure if she should trust the man or not. On one hand he could save her family and maybe even her friends, but on the other, he could be dangerous and lying.

With her not looking and him pressed for time, he decided for her. He took a few steps to close the gap between them, before reaching down to gently grab her with one hand, by the waist. June squeaked in surprise, feeling the leather gloved hand pick her up, her feet leaving the ground with frightening ease, her small size making this pretty easy for him. One of his swords probably weighed more than she did. His grip wasn't painful, in fact while firm it was quite gentle, but the halfling knew why she was being lifted up and, in her mind, it wasn't good. Ohh she should have ran when she saw it was a Witcher...

"W-wait, isn't there a-a better way to d-do this? " She asked, looking at him with worried, hopeful eyes. June knew fighting wouldn't do much good but get herself hurt or anger him, but she hoped to talk him out of it maybe. "No, not time efficiently. " He could just leave her here he supposed, but then he'd still have to come back and look for her no doubt, this way he could just bring her with him and not have to worry about it. The Witcher didn't give her anymore time to try and talk him out of it and instead brought her closer to his face. "Ohh dear... " The little one muttered, feeling like this was a bad dream or something, or perhaps hoping it was anyway.

She watched as his jaws opened up, just enough for her feet and legs to slide in, oddly seeming to want to swallow her feet first... June kept still as he eased her in, watching with growing nervousness at seeing her little body vanish past his teeth, hoping he won't bite down. His breath wasn't too awful, he must not have eaten anything recently, which could be good. It was humid and warm though, which felt... nice, it was cold out here and her little body got cold easily. June just hoped this won't be a one way trip, the mention of devouring her to protect her gave her hope that, somehow, it would be safe. Witchers were weird people after all, she couldn't truly say what one was and wasn't able to do. All she knew was what her mom told her, that they were heartless and cold, but this one offered to save her family, that didn't seem so heartless and cold.

The Witcher soon took the first gulp, his throat muscles flexing and engulfing her feet and legs inside of his gullet. It was dark. she couldn't hardly see anything down there with her lower half, but she could feel warm, slick saliva soaking into her clothes and soft, warm flesh enveloping her. June's waist, hands and part of her torso was in his mouth now, in which he let go of her torso to hold her shoulders, just wrapping his hand entirely around her upper back, his thumb almost tickling her neck. So far nothing actually hurt, it felt weird but oddly... soft. Her arms were pinned to her sides by his mouth and throat, so there wasn't much she could do but try to relax and keep still. The Witcher obviously made up his mind on devouring her so all she could do was keep from upsetting him and hope he won't hurt her.

In her dreams, this process was often a lot more brutal and scary, but now that it was actually happening, it... wasn't so awful. It was still scary of course, but if her family was saved and all she had to do was get a bit slimy for a bit, that was alright in her book. Another swallow came, pulling her deeper inside of him, her shoulders were touching his bottom teeth which wasn't the most comfortable, but it didn't last too long as the Witcher took yet another swallow after letting her go, her head slipping past his lips, out of his hand and into his mouth entirely. His tongue gently cradled her head inside, before there was a muffled click, perhaps his teeth shutting since there was no reason to keep his mouth open, his throat muscles were already kneading and pulling her deeper down by themselves, but he started to take a few soft gulps to help the process, knowing she would be better off fully tucked in his belly and not lodged in his throat somewhere.

It was almost like being wrapped up in a thick, warm, wet blanket while sliding down, it was kinda hard to move inside so she just waited for it to be over, hoping his belly will be equally not as bad as she imagined. Soon there was a tight ring of muscle that she had to squeeze past, but her being covered in drool from head to toe helped slip by. After that she found herself sliding into a more open space, though not all that much more open. The little halfling took a deep breath of humid air as she shifted to curl upright inside, it wasn't fresh but it was breathable, which was better than she expected. The belly was quite warm, chasing away what small amount of cold remained in her little bones, it was also soft and seemed to... cradle her inside of the Witcher, it was comforting especially with the steady, heavy heartbeat above her. It was late and she was tired, which likely helped in her not being as freaked out as she normally would. But she wasn't about to fall asleep, she wasn't quite that tired.

The Witcher let a faint smile appear on his lips, feeling oddly full inside now, but it was a comfortable, warm fullness. He knew the little one was safe, his innards will cushion any jostling there might be. She was surprisingly calm about it, but he was not complaining, it made things easier. He gave a soft pat to his middle, covered in armor of course but he hoped she could at least hear it. "I'll let you out once it's safe. " He told her, confirming that, so far, his intentions seemed pure. There was no point in lying by now, she was inside and helpless to him, so she felt that could only mean he really wasn't so bad, that he did just want to keep her safe by devouring her whole. She did feel the pat he gave and murmured softly to it, mostly because of the relieving words behind it."Okay... t-thank you, please s-save my mommy and daddy. " She asked shyly, hoping it wasn't too much to ask.

"See what I can do. " He replied briefly, with the little halfling safely in his belly he can continue traveling there. They were just some bandits, they likely wouldn't be any trouble for him. But they were still dangerous and destructive to a small town of little farmers. Plus Witchers were trained not to underestimate the enemy or get cocky, it opened unneeded chances to slip up and make a mistake. Since he knew the note was recent and was aware of where the farm town was, he put the bandit note away before he started walking at a brisk pace, past the trees and towards the distant yelling and screaming. Thankfully his body and armor muffled the sounds to the child, for now, though once he got to the fray that likely won't be the case.

Once he started walking, June found herself swaying in the warm Witcher belly, it reminded her of a cradle, back when she was just a baby, which wasn't all that long ago given her age. Now that she could think about it, she wondered if the song had misunderstood Witchers, to a degree. He did seem pretty scary, but maybe he only ate people to keep them safe and out of his way, rather than actually hurting them. Or maybe she just got extremely lucky and found a nice Witcher in her time of need. June was curious about him but she didn't want to distract him from helping her parents, she wanted to ask him questions, like his name and such, but she held it in, hoping maybe he'll stay around so she could ask later, when things were not so dire.

Instead the little one just settled back in the cozy stomach, the longer she stayed inside the safer and warmer she felt and she started to wonder why she was ever so afraid. The excitement of everything was catching up to her and the darkness around her didn't help things, but she still struggled to stay awake, not wanting to be asleep, she was too worried about her mother and father, hoping the Witcher would get there in time. She recalled the image of the bandit before she fled, while the Witcher was a much more frightening sight, the fact the bandits were the more evil party here, it lingered more in her mind.

The Witcher kept walking, keeping a eye and ear out for anyone attempting to sneak up on him, though it wasn't too likely as the bandits meant for this to be a easy task, basically a secret raid on a group no one really cared about. No one expected a Witcher to come along and ruin their night. He saw the fire glowing and heard the yelling much louder now as he neared the edge of the forest. A bandit was rummaging through a small chest, possibly drug out from one of the little houses, but regardless he was distracted.

He pulled his blade slowly from his back, creeping closer to his human target, before lunging forward and swinging the heavy steel weapon. The bandit's back was deeply sliced and he fell to the ground quickly. The sound alerted all the other bandits currently raiding and within earshot. "Get the freak! " One of them called, a few bandits popping out of the houses to stand by the caller's side, getting ready to fight. The Witcher got into a more proper fighting stance and braced himself for the likely bloodbath fixing to follow. He didn't enjoy slaughtering humans or anyone for that matter, but it was him or them, plus the halflings they were raiding were also at risk if he didn't. He avoided using the sign igni as he didn't want to cause anymore fires then there already was. However he did make use of Aard which did help put out a few fires in the process.

For June, the fight was a bit surreal and happened rather quickly, scary even as she felt Geralt's every move which was... a lot, Witchers were apparently very fast and agile, if the amount of times her world flipped was any indication. At first she wiggled a bit to try and resist the movements, yelping when he rolled or dodged. None of it harmed the girl, as his stomach was plush and absorbed the blows pretty well. After a few times though June realized that she couldn't resist and just had to literally roll with it, so she relaxed the best she could and closed her eyes, letting Geralt's belly keep her from getting hurt during this. The sounds she heard wasn't pleasant but his powerful heart beating above her helped drown out a lot of the more gruesome aspects of the battle. Thankfully none of the bandits aimed for his gut or at least none connected as that could have hurt the girl, so he did take extra care to protect his middle.

The muscles of his stomach did occasionally tense up during the fight, probably due to just being in combat and needing to use them, but it was a little scary for her, worried that the muscles would tighten too much, but thankfully they never did. She only found out the battle was over when Geralt was still, his heart and breathing steadily calming down back to the way it was. Everything felt like it happened so fast, one moment she was tumbling around and the next she was back to being in a rather peaceful belly. "I-is it over? " June asked carefully, almost expecting it to start right back up.

But it won't, with the Witcher's steel blade coated in blood, it looked like a massacre happened here and it sort of did. Normally he'd see if there was anything worth taking from the bandits but not today, there was more pressing issues at hand. "Yes it's over, I will search for your parents. " He dreaded to see what he might find, though he used Aard to help put out some of the house fires, the force roughing the houses up a little but he hoped it was better than burning. The first house he searched was empty, of both people and valuables, probably the bandits doing. He had no idea which house the child was living in so he just had to go down in a line, ducking down in the smaller buildings as they were not originally built for someone his size. The next one was not a pretty sight, but it was only one halfling so he was sure it was not her family.

He sighed and left the 3rd building he checked, not looking forward to having to tell the little one her family may be gone. He wasn't about to give up early per say but he knew he had to keep in mind the possibility. However, before he could think on such grim thoughts much longer, he heard a voice, sounding weak and followed with coughing, likely due to the smoke. "Hello? Who's there? is that another one of you bastards? " It was a female voice though she didn't sound all too well. Geralt turned towards the sound, slowly walking around the side of the building he just checked to see a halfling woman leaned up against it. She was holding a simple kitchen knife, stained with blood with a bandit's body lying beside her with slices on his legs and stomach, likely from her. From what Geralt could tell he bled out quickly once she sliced his artery.

The weak woman, who had bruises and was bleeding from one of her own legs looked over to him, knife at ready at first, until she got a good look at him. "No.. it's worse. " She answered her own question with a tired scoff, lowering the little weapon as she knew she didn't stand a chance against him. "I was just telling my daughter a song about your kind you know... b-before all this... " She trailed off, watching as the Witcher came up to her entirely and crouched down to get a better look at her. "Daughter? " He questioned, wondering if this was the child's mother or not. The halfling saw his blood soaked blade so it wasn't hard to imagine he was the cause of the sudden deaths of all the bandits, yet he was fretting over her now for some reason... "Y-yes, sweet little dear she is... I wish I-I didn't tell that lullaby though... Goodness knows there's more to be much more afraid of than you. " Geralt wasn't sure which lullaby she was referring to as there was a few at this point.

Geralt was about to point out her wound, figuring they had more pressing issues to worry about first. He wasn't a doctor but he seen a lot of wounds in his time and he was sure that if she was properly taken care of, she'd live. But she cut him off before he had a chance to speak. "Did you see my little Junebug o-on the way here? " The mother asked worriedly, unsure if she should be hoping he did or not. Frankly he couldn't be sure how many mother halflings were here and given where the child was, he couldn't ask. "I found a halfling child yes, but she didn't tell me her name. " He answered, not wanting to assume anything. That was however when June herself decided to speak up. "Mommy? Is that you? " Both adults heard her ask.

June heard Geralt talking to someone but she wasn't sure if it was her mother or not, but after hearing her name mentioned she had to ask, being sure it was. Of course she didn't take into account that she could get Geralt into trouble by doing that. The Witcher did though and winced a bit. The possible mother lit up to the sound of her daughter's muffled voice, looking around Geralt as if she expected to see her standing beside or behind him. But she didn't see June anywhere. "June? Yes it's me. " She answered anyway, but the confusion was clear in her voice. A heavy sigh escaped the man, figuring he had to be the one to tell her. "Found her in the woods alone, so I swallowed her to keep her safe. " His voice sounded as bored sounding as usual. "She told me about what was happening here. " He added after, now expecting to be scolded by the hurt woman.

But much to his surprise, she didn't, especially since June was happy to hear her mother again. "You found mommy! Thank you mister Witcher. " The words left him with a warm feeling in his chest, one he was used to feeling when helping people but not quite used to being thanked so much. Meanwhile June's mother laughed weakly. "It's funny... the thing I scared her with is what saved us tonight... Though I had always figured that part of the song was not literal. " Geralt found it to be a strange lack of freaking out, but he certainly wasn't going to complain. But it made sense that it was a song that likely just mentioned his kind in a figurative sense like that, something a child would easily take literally.

"Not complaining but you're taking this well. " He commented, sheathing his steel sword for now. The faint movement in his belly was distracting as the happy child seemed to settle, happy that one of her parents were found anyway. "I may be small Witcher but I wasn't born yesterday. I saw what you did to those bandits, I just didn't know who, or rather what you were until now. But if you wanted to hurt us you would have done it already. " It was logical thinking, Geralt appreciated it. But the issue of the mother's leg was still there. "We should get that taken care of and then take you to a doctor." He said, turning to reach into his bag and find some bandages he always carried. "I'll be fine Witcher, but... how is June, is she hurt? "

Geralt paused in his search, recalling when he picked the little halfling child up, she didn't seem hurt, just scared understandably. "She is fine, but she's going to need you. " He really didn't want this to turn into her asking him to take care of June if she didn't make it. Mostly because traveling with a Witcher was far from being the safest option for her and for himself. "Are you mothering me? " The woman asked, amused from the Witcher's gruff concern as he found the bandages, making sure not to accidentally let the bandages touch anything else on him, as he had some blood on his armor from the bandits and didn't want her getting a infection because of it. He ignored her comment and just focused on preparing the bandage, taking some safe but hard alcohol out of his pack, pulling the cork off with his teeth and pouring it on the bandage to disinfect it.

The halfling mother watched with mild fascination, he did it like second nature, which made her wonder how many wounds he has dressed before. Singing a lullaby about a being you never actually met was one thing, but to actually see one and in action to boot was much, much different. That was when June decided to speak up about something. "Where's da? Is he out there too? " The little one asked, tiny hands pressing into the Witcher's soft stomach lining. Geralt was curious about that too but had a sickening feeling of the answer, especially when he saw the mother's eyes drop, a grim look on her face. "He... didn't make it... " He heard June gasp to that, slumping in the pit of his belly. He figured the father might not make it, from what he knew of bandits they tend to do that but keep the women around for amusement or because they don't take them seriously. To him this meant her mother had to survive that much more, otherwise June would become an orphan and that... that never ends well.

The Witcher felt a little awkward to be literally in the middle of such a thing, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He wasn't about to cough up June and let her see this awful mess. She was better off and much safer in his stomach until they got to somewhere safer. The three were silent now as Geralt began to wrap the bandage around the mother's leg, seeing her tense in pain as the alcohol burned a bit once it came into contact with the wound. He took care to wrap it tight enough so it won't slip off, but not too tight that it hurt, though her leg was much smaller than most legs he was used to dealing with but once he treated it more like an arm it was easier. "There, now c'mon the nearest doctor is quite a ways off. " He broke the silence and offered his hand to help her stand up. The halfling moved carefully as she grabbed his hand and shakily stood up, feeling the pain get a bit more intense but she ignored it.

She was about the size of a human child for Geralt, which meant with short and injured legs she wouldn't be able to keep up with him walking. "We'll go by horseback. " He then placed two fingers in his mouth to whistle for Roach. While waiting for the horse the mom spoke up. "You know Witcher we don't have anything to pay you with.. the bandits took or burned everything we owned. " She warned him, knowing his kind tended to like getting paid for their work. She also feared he'd put her in debt, have her work for years and years just to pay him off... She didn't want that, if he had to go now and it meant he wouldn't be breathing down her neck she'd take it, of course once he gave her daughter back. Geralt however had a heart as much as a brain, halflings didn't usually have much to give anyway, much less one in her condition.

"Not asking for payment, just take care of your kid. " He answered, not having the heart to even consider making her go through what she feared. He'd gladly take a hearty payment from those that could afford it, those that couldn't however... didn't have to. If nothing else he was already being paid back a little, the child's presence in his belly felt nice, he wasn't hungry anymore and for a Witcher that often went without meals quite often, it was a rare and content feeling. But his true payment would be to see the two halfling girls safe and sound somewhere. The dark brown horse with a black mane and tail came into view, it having various saddlebags on it, a fairly nice saddle and even some horse blinders.

The mom was taken aback by his answer, having not expected that at all, but she wasn't too foolish or prideful to accept the help. "Okay... thank you." Geralt gave a faint smile but didn't say anything, instead he bent down to gently pick her up much like a kid, tucking his hands under her arms and lifting her off the ground. He was mindful of her leg as he placed her on the saddle, while she held onto the lip of it to steady herself. Once the Witcher was sure she wouldn't just slide off, he climbed up onto the horse with her. He sat behind her since she was so small, plus it allowed her to rest back against him. But she didn't at first, afraid that leaning back against his stomach might hurt June inside.

Meanwhile once Geralt was sure she wouldn't slide off, he picked up the reigns and ordered the horse to start walking, which she did at a casual but not too slow of a pace. With the slight bouncing from the horse's trot the mother didn't have much of a choice about not leaning against the Witcher, but she moved slow and found out his armor didn't allow for any increased pressure. His chain mail covered belly wasn't the most comfortable but it supported her back and put off pressure from her injured leg. It was strange for her to think about her daughter tucked behind layers of armor, skin and muscle. It was a strange feeling that she felt very close, yet also far away.

The Witcher stayed quiet during the ride as they left the halfling village, assuming the two would want to talk eventually, once they got used to talking with a wall of sorts between them. That and he wasn't very talkative anyway so it was normal for him. "Junebug? " He heard the mother ask, sounding uncertain and maybe a little awkward. But in just a moment or two there was a little muffled answer. "Yes mama? " The child asked, her voice sounding as if she had been crying... which was understandable, the loss of her father. One of the mother's hands moved to rest on his middle, feeling nothing but warm chain metal. She guessed that's why he did it though... to keep from anything harming the little child. "Are you alright sweetie? " She asked, though it sounded like a dumb question, none of them were alright.

June shifted softly in Geralt's belly, the soft walls keeping her snug and warm inside. "Y-yeah, I'm okay... are you okay mommy? " The little one asked. Her voice was so soft and delicate to the Witcher's ears, it was good to know she was safe and nestled away from the dangers of the world, at least for now. The mother meanwhile kept her focus on her child's voice, trying to not think too hard on the fact the man had swallowed her whole otherwise she might freak out. When the news first broke to her and she thought she'd be left for dead was different, but now as it sunk in and he was helping them both further it started to unnerve her a little. She knew it was for June's safety though which was the only reason she was able to accept it as well as she was. That and there wasn't anything she could do about it, if the Witcher wanted a halfling buffet they couldn't really stop him.

"Yes sweetie, mommy is fine... the nice man is taking us somewhere safer. " She assured, not wanting to tell her about her leg and worry her, even if she might already know. "Good... " June answered followed with a yawn, the little Witcher snack was rather tired as Geralt felt her lightly snuggle his belly. He looked down at the mother then, deciding he did have something to say after all. "You can rest on the way there, trip is a long ways. " He told them both, not wanting them to struggle to stay awake if they needed rest. He could make sure the mom doesn't fall off while they rode.

The adult halfling looked up from his statement, seeing those big yellow eyes staring at her which was still a little unnerving, but she could see a rather soft look in them, instead of malicious. "I might take you up on that. " She responded, though part of her was afraid to sleep and dream about what just happened and the loss of her husband, which still pained her but she was trying to be strong for her daughter. Geralt gave a firm nod and focused back on the road ahead, keeping an eye and ear out for any signs of monsters or bandits. It was dark and thus, the perfect time for a ambush if something or someone set it up. They were alone and the Witcher was a little impaired as he didn't want to just dump the woman off the horse. Thus a little easier of a target then he would have liked.

Around an hour passed and Geralt could tell the mother was asleep, as she was lying limp against his torso. June he wasn't entirely sure, though she was fairly still so he could assume she was asleep just as much as her mother was. It was odd being alone again but he was also used to it, traveling alone was part of a Witcher's life. it was also less distracting for them to be asleep and he could focus better, his eyes glowing faintly in the night. With any luck anyone who saw those eyes would think twice before trying anything. The roads Geralt picked were rarely traveled, which is why he picked them, wanting to avoid soldier patrols which could sometimes be just as bad as bandits. A Witcher was not welcome in most places, people only tolerated him because he was useful to them, but with two halflings with him he doubted people would be as tolerant, which could make it tricky getting the mother care.

Geralt would try though, hoping his reputation would pay off and they'll allow a non-human to get care or maybe find someone else willing. As he rode along for a while longer, he came to a bridge, not a very big one but that wasn't what caught Geralt's eye. Alongside the bridge stood two men, one on each side holding long spears, easily able to block the way together. He inwardly sighed and curled a arm around the mother, knowing Roach should behave as long as the guys didn't purposely spook her. Suspecting that it won't work, Geralt rode up to the edge of the bridge, but they crossed their spears to keep him from going any further. "Ey no freaks past this point. " The right one said, the left one sneering at the Witcher.

The Witcher took a deep breath to keep his patience, eyes narrowing at them still though. "She's hurt and needs a doctor, I aim to take her to one. " He answered, trying to appear to be relaxed, but his arm remained tightened around the sleeping mother. He could perhaps use Axii on them but there were two and possibly more, it was a risk he couldn't take. "Freaks helping other freaks, what else is new? shove off Witcher. " He was surprised they were not even asking for a toll, but just for him to leave... He hummed in thought, looking between the two men. "Fine. " He simply said after a moment and turned Roach around, starting to trot off where they came from.

But after going a little ways, he reached into his bag, pulling out a Samum bomb. It wouldn't hurt them too much, but it would blind them for a short while. He quickly turned Roach around and told her to run, while he threw the bomb at the two men. The blinders on the horse shielded her eyes, while he closed his during the initial blast. With the men disoriented they were not blocking the way, allowing them to ride right past while they tried to figure out what just happened. The commotion however did stir movement from within and against his belly. "What was that? " The mother asked, trying to look around the Witcher behind them, but his arm remained un-moving, likely to keep her from falling as the horse sprinted.

"Troublemakers." He answered, looking back himself to see if they were chasing them, but from what he could tell they were alone and didn't give chase, good. With that he slowed Roach down to the calm trot they were doing before. The movement from June in his belly made it give a soft gurgle, possibly not expecting such lively contents, but once she settled down it relaxed too. "What did you do? " The child asked, since she couldn't see anything. " Got by the trouble. " Geralt responded, relaxing his arm off the mother now since they didn't seem to be at risk anymore... at least, not until they get to Novigrad. The mom wasn't thrilled about his unwillingness to explain but he didn't seem extremely talkative so she hoped that was why.

The child seemed content with it, perhaps still too tired to protest or pester, which might be good. They were lucky to have such help and it'd be best if they made it easy on him, the best they could anyway. The little girl went back to sleep pretty soon, being surrounded by soft warmth made it hard not to just snuggle up and rest, feeling too safe and snug to stay awake right now anyway. Perhaps once she got some decent sleep she'll be a bit more hyper, but hopefully by then her mother would be at the doctor to get her wound tended to and stitched up. It helped he didn't have to really worry about the girl much, knowing she was perfectly safe and out of sight within his gut.

The mother didn't sleep though, not wanting anymore surprises without her seeing it coming. Plus they were getting close... she could tell. First they went through a smaller village outside the main city, mostly where all the non-humans lived since they were more or less not allowed inside unless they had something worthy to offer the city. He rode by a few dwarves, slowing Roach's pace to a calm walk to avoid hitting anyone. Elves, dwarves and even a few halflings didn't really mind him, but it was the guards up ahead he was worried about. Normally they let him in because he was, again, useful to them and he had a pass, but they made sure to voice their displeasure about it.

He was hoping he could just ride in and not be noticed he was with company. But as he was just about to clear the guards, one stepped in front of his horse, holding a hand up. "Hold it Witcher, what's with the halfling? " He asked, shield and sword at the ready in case Geralt gave them any trouble. "She's hurt, needs stitches, then she'll be on her way. " He answered him, hoping some good ol honesty would pay off finally. They were not going to get in by force alone, he got away with it from the guys on the bridge but this was a bit different. If he could swallow the mother too it wouldn't be such a big deal, the guards couldn't check his stomach contents after all. But he couldn't really fit them both inside of his belly, plus the process could hurt her leg further.

The guard looked Geralt and the mother over, as if trying to decide if it was true. "Fine, but don't draw attention to yourselves got it? And she goes as soon as she gets that doctor. " The Witcher was surprised by that, however he nodded once silently and waited for him to step aside, most of the other guards were too busy dealing with other folk wanting in they didn't notice. Geralt and the halfling mother were lucky on that which was nice, but it did give him an idea. He took a right turn away from some other guards, while using his free hand to reach behind him, pulling out a simple little dark green blanket from the saddlebags. He allowed Roach to walk off a little to eat some discarded hay while he unrolled the blanket, then began to wrap the mother in it, creating a cloak sort of, hiding her face and pretty much all of her really.

She caught on what the Witcher was doing and helped him, with her size they could pass her off as a child, at least to glances. People would hopefully be too focused on Geralt to notice her. "Thank you. " She whispered, not minding the covers either since it was sort of cold out. He didn't answer but did nod with a faint smile, turning the horse around now and starting to calmly walk to the doctor that he knew of in town. They had to get to the bits district first to get to Vilmerius Hospital and hope they'd get to her soon. Riding slow helped limit the attention drawn to them plus it was late, all manners of shady people were out and a lot of the guards were wasted, so as long as they didn't create any commotion they should be alright.

After a few close calls of extra stares from those that were not as drunk as they'd like to be, they made it to the hospital. Geralt had Roach stop before carefully getting off while June stirred lightly in his tummy from the movement, but didn't wake up. After that he gently picked the mother up again before setting her on the ground, nodding his head towards the front door. Opening it was a little repulsing for Geralt, as his nose was assaulted by all sorts of awful smells, mostly blood and lots of it but there was also other unpleasant scents in the air, partly rotting flesh mostly from awfully infected wounds from soldiers. The mother could smell it faintly as well but not nearly as overwhelming. One of the doctors saw them walk in and came over. "Witcher, what do you bring this time? " He asked, looking between the 'child' and him as if trying to decide which one needed help.

"She needs stitches, on her leg. " Geralt answered, gesturing to the mother. The doctor bent down to look at her, pulling the hood back gently, only to see who, or rather what it was. "You brought a halfling here? " He asked in a slightly panicked, hushed voice, the mother quickly pulling the hood back on. The Witcher sighed again, shoulders slightly tense. "Just stitch her up and we'll be out of your hair. " He said, before reaching into his gold pouch and pulling out a decent sized handful of crowns, passing them to the doctor. The doctor was hesitant, but the need for gold was strong and thus, nodded in agreement, taking the crowns and putting them in his pocket. " Come back in the morning, she should be fine then if there's no complications. "

He didn't really want to leave her alone, but the mother gave him a nod, silent permission to go ahead. "Just take care of June. " She whispered, easier said than done of course but still doable regardless. Knowing with him gone less attention would be drawn, he decided to agree and turned to head back outside. He hoped the doctor stayed true to his word and she would be fine by then. In the meantime however he wasn't entirely sure what to do, especially with a bellyful of child. He climbed back onto Roach and started to ride away at a slow walk, to not startle anyone. He ended up in the market area, but being so late not much was around... That's what gave him an idea though, it was late and the beaches were not too awful, he could always mediate for awhile.

With that in mind Geralt turned to head towards the docks, knowing sand wasn't far off once he got away from the boats and such. There was a few fishing but if he was quiet they hopefully won't mind his presence. Roach walked off a little once he got off her to eat some grass nearby, while he settled with kneeling on the sand, not the most comfortable but better than hard wood or a rock. With June asleep he relaxed himself, hands rested on his lap while his eyes closed, not actually sleeping per say as that was too dangerous out here, but going into a trance of sorts, resting and relaxing his weary bones.

He mediated until morning, remaining totally still the entire time which did startle some folk that passed by and those that were fishing. When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a human child staring at him, a boy. Though he jumped back when he saw the Witcher's eyes "Woah! " He exclaimed, grabbing the little fishing pole he had and scrambling off. It was by far not the first time it happened, making Geralt sigh before standing up, brushing the sand off of his knees. Roach was still nearby, at least in sight reasonably enough.

June far as he could tell remained resting peacefully, nestled within his snug belly. With it always being dark inside it probably tricked her internal clock into thinking it was still nighttime which didn't bother him any. He had to go check on her mother and it'd be best if the kid was asleep, especially if something went wrong. He really hoped nothing did though... but being a realist, he had to consider the possibility and what he was going to do with a little halfling orphan if it came to that. Geralt got up onto Roach though and began to walk back to the hospital, hoping for the best but trying to expect the worst. Being daylight there were more people around, though the guards that were previously drunk are now hung over, which could be a good thing but it'd be best if they didn't linger around.

Geralt still got the usual comments of his mutant nature, in which he ignored and kept riding by, making it to the hospital in decent time. The Witcher took a moment to prepare himself for the smell, before climbing off his horse and stepping up to the door. Once he opened it he got his answer fairly quick, the halfling mother was right there waiting, still wrapped in the blanket he gave her earlier. "Got the stitches already? " He asked, making sure they didn't lie to them. She nodded and walked past him outside, though slowly to not rip the work the doctor just did. All the doctors were busy so he just closed the door and left with her. "Let's get out of here. " The mom whispered, standing by Roach as she waited for his help.

He certainly wasn't going to argue that, so the Witcher carefully picked her up again, much like a child and placed her on the saddle. He then climbed up with her and grabbed the reigns, having Roach start to slowly trot off now. They made sure the blanket remained snug around her and for it to cover her face for the most part as they rode off. Leaving her there was not an answer so he opted to take her to the outskirts of Novigrad, where all the non-humans were. It was not the best place, sure but they wouldn't be alone and the place was too big and too close to Novigrad to be attacked by bandits.

The biggest issue was finding a private spot to release June out of his belly, it wouldn't take him long to squeeze her back up but if anyone saw they'd freak out for sure. Figuring the best thing to do was to leave entirely, he rode past the outskirts and a little ways into the wilderness, guiding Roach into the brush and off the beaten path. "What are you doing? " The mother asked, confused as to why they didn't stop earlier. "Letting June out. " He simply answered, looking around and listening closely to make sure no guards were following them or anything. Once the coast seemed clear he climbed off Roach. Geralt left the mom on the horse, not seeing a reason to take her down.

Instead he relaxed himself the best he could, knowing if his muscles were tense he could accidentally squeeze the little one a bit too hard. He then gently patted his stomach, trying to get the little girl's attention inside. At first there wasn't anything but soft shifting and a happy, content mumble, which as nice as it was to know she was comfortable the little one couldn't stay. "June? " He spoke again, softly tightening his stomach muscles afterwards to try and wake her up. Finally that got her stirring awake, small hands feeling around the tense muscles until he relaxed again. "Yes? Is everything alright mister Witcher? " She asked, her voice a little groggy from sleeping. "Everything's fine, going to let you out now. " He informed, giving a tender rub to his middle while speaking. Geralt knew he was probably going to miss the little halfling for a bit, but it was to be expected. As often as he came here, perhaps the two could see him again.

"Oh okay! " She responded back, shifting a little more to get settled, but also preparing for... whatever may happen next. She wasn't entirely sure how she was coming out. Most things that were eaten stayed in the tummy and didn't come out, which as cozy and warm as Geralt's stomach was, eventually the wee lass would get bored of being Witcher belly filler. She got her answer however as his stomach muscles tightened again, this time from the bottom up. The entrance to his gut was still pretty tight, but the slick saliva and efforts from Geralt allowed her to slip by. Gravity was being a little annoying in that it wanted to send her back down into the nice Witcher's tummy but he kept to the task at hand as powerful throat muscles worked to knead the little one back up head first. It was rather tight and restricting, but it had to be if he had any prayer of getting her out.

Eventually she felt her head enter his mouth again as he opened up, her eyes squinting from the sudden light after being in total darkness for so long. But he wasn't done yet as slowly more and more of June spilled out of his mouth, until he was able to gently grab her torso with one hand and help pull her out the rest of the way from his soft innards. It was a little chilly out, at least it felt like it after being so warm and cozy, plus she was covered in saliva which cooled in the morning air. "Thank you mister Witcher. " June said to him sweetly as he crouched down to gently place her on the ground. Her feet finally touching solid ground after being surrounded by soft, plush stomach walls all night. Geralt gave her a faint but gentle smile, swallowing quietly to correct his innards again. "You're welcome. " He answered, admiring for a moment just how little she was. He didn't get a very good look at her before he devoured her, just remembering she was likely smaller than most turkey dinners, not that he got that ever.

The mother found the scene to be at first rather unsettling, watching him regurgitate her daughter was not a pleasant sight. But seeing how gentle he was with something so much smaller and more delicate than him made up for it, especially as she had to remember he only devoured June to keep her safe. Witchers were said to be heartless, brutal and only in for the coin, but that clearly wasn't true, if the oddly gentle gaze those yellow viper eyes held was any indication. She vowed to change the lullaby to something much more fitting, the next time she was to sing it. "It's not far, we can walk back from here Geralt. " The mother said, not wishing to bother him any longer. Geralt mulled over the option for a moment, deciding to agree if only for the fact that if they walked back by themselves it would look less suspicious to anyone paying attention. "Alright. " He stood up, towering over little June but took care to walk around her.

He then picked up the mother again and set her down, helping her in getting unwrapped from the blanket he gave her. The only reason he was taking it back was someone might recognize it and she'd get in trouble. It was best that she appeared separate from him so no one could so easily make the connection. "Thank you again Witcher, I'm glad people are wrong about you, I hope someday people will come to learn the truth. " The mother said to him in a soft, tender tone, making him smile again faintly. He didn't smile often but it was hard not to, it wasn't often people he helped thanked him like this and it was a good feeling. "Take care now, both of you. " Geralt gave a single nod while speaking, while rolling the blanket back up to put in his saddlebags.

"Come on Junebug! let's go. " She called for her daughter, but instead the small girl ran back to the Witcher, latching onto his shin and hugging him. "Goodbye mister Witcher. " She mumbled into him. This did catch him off guard, but he chuckled lightly and bent down to scoop the little halfling child up like a small kitten, allowing her to hug his chest instead of his leg as he cradled her in the crook of his arm. June giggled happily from this and took full advantage, despite the armor not being very comfortable to hug it wasn't the point really. He held her for a few moments to let her get it out of her system, while he felt a warm, fluttery feeling in his chest that he wished would never go away.

Eventually though he knew he had to let go, so he crouched down again and placed June back on the ground. "Go on, back to your mother. " He softly told her, using one hand to nudge her back. It earned him yet another giggle, before she ran off to catch up to her mother, turning back and waving to him before they were out of sight. Geralt found himself waving back, watching them leave for a moment before getting back up on Roach. As the Witcher rode off to his next objective, he faintly licked his lips, tasting what little remained of June and remembering the sweet words both of them gave him. That was easily his payment which was arguably worth more than any amount of crowns, but that meant he should probably go do something he'd get paid for next. Surely some snobby noble had a halfling problem he could take care of, much like he took care of these... With his luck though it'd be a nasty griffin or fiend.

A week later the halfling mother and daughter were doing alright, though the loss of a father and husband made things hard, both emotionally and otherwise, they were still better off then they would have been without Geralt's help. They were renting a room from an elf, the attic which was a little dusty and only had one bed, but it was a safe place and the elf was a nice lady. Quietly so that they wouldn't disturb the landlady, the mother decided to sing her new version of the lullaby.

"Wolves asleep amidst the trees Bats all a swaying in the breeze"

The little one blinked, this time knowing the song well, but only the old, dark version. She was curious to hear why her mother was singing it again after what happened with Geralt.

"But one soul lies anxious wide awake Fearing all manner of ghouls, hags and wraiths For your dolly Polly sleep has flown Don't dare let her tremble alone For the Witcher, heartfelt, warm Paid in words of kind He comes, he'll go Leave naught behind But content and joy Deep, deep joy."

The child tensed up now, a big smile on her face from the changed words. It didn't sound quite as flowing but they could work on that, plus for June it was the thought that counted, as Geralt deserved the song to change for the better.

"Birds are silent for the night Cows turned in as daylight dies But one soul lies anxious wide awake Fearing all manner of ghouls, hags and wraiths My dear dolly Polly shut your eyes Lie still, lie silent, utter no cries As the Witcher, brave and bold Paid in words of kind."

The wee girl didn't know the next part exactly, but she remembered the old version, every time it was sung, it made her afraid. While most human children were afraid of being eaten up by the big bad White Wolf, this little halfling actually found comfort in it now.

"He'll cradle and warm you up Hug and protect you Eat you up whole Eat you whole."

The mother finished with a warm smile, seeing the beaming, happy look on her daughter's face. It was better than scaring her. The incident with the bandits made her much more careful so there wasn't the problem of her running off too far anymore. Instead they worked together to get through the hard life in Velen, which had it's troubles and so did living so close to Novigrad, but nothing was set in stone, they could move or things could change for the better. Either way at least they had a roof over their heads now and each other, the latter was the most important part. 


End file.
